Casey Henry has agreed to send us occasional updates from The American Revival Tour, where she is performing with Dixie Bee-Liners. Also on the tour are Sierra Hull & Highway 111 and headliners Uncle Earl.

Here is Casey’s report.

Do you remember the song that Madeline Kahn sings in Blazing Saddles: I’m Tired? It has the bit about “coming and going and going and coming and,” well, I’ll stop right there. But if I had to pick a theme song for the last few days of this tour, that would be it. It seems like FOREVER since I wrote my last post about the tour, but it was only a week and a half ago!

Since then we’ve been to Baton Rouge, Houston, Fayetteville, AR, Springfield, MO, Bowling Green, KY, and Knoxville, TN. We’ve had two computer crashes (Sierra Hull’s and KC Groves), one lost wallet (Sierra’s), one minor van repair (when Cory Walker’s computer blew one of their van’s fuses), and one case of laryngitis (Kristin Andressean), but no major disasters.

There have been some great moments as well, like when Uncle Earl pulled together and rearranged all their songs when Kristin couldn’t sing (the show must go on…). Uncle Earl also wrote and recorded a theme song for the daily tour blog (which is over on the Murphy Method Blog). They even sang it on stage one night!

At a coffeeshop called Coffee and Chocolate in downtown Knoxville we discovered that they had Kopi Luwak, a kind of coffee beans harvested from the forest floor in Sumatra after having been eaten and excreted by cat-like creatures called Luwaks. They roast the beans just like regular coffee, but they are highly prized for their unique flavor. We’ve been talking about this kind of coffee for years and we could not pass up the opportunity to try it. A two ounce package cost us $60 and we split it eight ways. The coffee (which they brewed in a french press) was very good. It had a very earthy flavor. But… It was so not worth paying $480 a pound.

Oftentimes on tour the best moments occur serendipitously. In Bowling Green Jeremy Darrow and I were walking around near the theater and we ran across a micro-distillery called Corsair. Their door was open, so we went in, met one of the owners, and he gave us an impromptu tasting and a little history of their business. A great find.

In Knoxville I ran across Morelock Music, which which was right around the corner from The Square Room, where we played. Matt Morelock has put together a charming store that combines instruments, LPs, consignment vintage clothing, and music lessons. This huge banjo, which reached from floor to ceiling, made me feel right at home.

In Arkansas we drove right by Janet Davis Music. Unfortunately it was on a Sunday, and they were closed, but one of the guys who worked there had come to the show the night before and offered to let us in if we wanted to stop by anyway. We didn’t have time, but I’ve always wanted to see her store.

Adam Steffey and his wife Tina came to the show in Knoxville. I’m glad I didn’t know that until after our set or else I would have been more nervous.

We have three more shows to go on our tour. When it’s over it will be one of those sad/glad moments: sad for such a great time to come to an end, but very glad to be going home!

Dale Ann Bradley will be collaborating next year with her old friend and former employee, Michael Cleveland, when she goes on the road with his band, Flamekeeper, for select shows next year. These dates will bill as Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper with special guest Dale Ann Bradley, with Jim Roe of Roe Entertainment handling the booking and arrangements.

These dates will feature Michael and Flamekeeper doing a one hour set, after which Dale Ann will join them for 30-45 minutes of her material with Michael and his band providing accompaniment.

Cleveland explained how this pairing came together.

“Tony Williams, promoter of the Kentucky Lake Bluegrass Festival, had booked Dale Ann Bradley and our band on the same show this year and he had an idea to have Dale Ann and Flamekeeper do a jam set at the end of the festival on that Saturday night. Tom Adams, Jesse Brock and myself had worked in Dale Ann’s band years ago, so we were pretty familiar with her older material.

We had so much fun playing that show together and we talked about it for days after. So the idea of teaming up with a package show like this seemed exciting and fun for all of us. I always enjoy getting to play music with her and I know what an incredible singer she is. Dale Ann can take any song, whether it be an original, or a standard and make it her own and I’m really looking forward to doing some shows together.”

Only a limited number of dates will be available for this show, as both acts maintain active schedules on their own. It seems likely that audiences, especially for indoor concert settings, will appreciate being able to see the 3-time IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year (Flamekeeper), 7-time Fiddle Player (Cleveland), reigning Bass player (Marshall Wilborn) and mandolin player (Jesse Brock), and the 3-time Female Vocalist (Bradley) in one, all-star show.

Dale Ann is eager to see these shows come to be.

“When I went out on my own, Michael Cleveland as well as Jesse Brock and Tom Adams were the musical glue that held it all together. Watching Michael play the fiddle with his signature drive and sensitivity…man, he’s something else. I am thrilled to be sharing a stage with him and all of the guys in Flamekeeper.”

Sounds like a fun show.

Junior had a show nearby and spoke at some length with music reporter Tad Dickens about his latest CD, Blue Side Of The Blue Ridge, and the 2009 IBMA Awards, where Junior had several nominations.

You can hear the entire 20 minute interview at Roanoke.com.

As the winners of the 2007 European Band Of The Year at the European World of Bluegrass, they garnered the IBMA showcase slot “reserved” for the EWOB winners. They played on the Wednesday brunch showcase during IBMA week, but unlike most invited showcase acts, they were also featured on the International Bluegrass Music Awards show and the weekend Fan Fest.

But this wasn’t a matter of pure kismet; the band had laid the groundwork in advance. Banjoist Jens Koch had attended IBMA on a number of occasions, and the entire band was there in 2008. They generated quite a buzz from their late night showcase slots last year, and worked the networking hard that whole week.

Perhaps most importantly, they retained US representation (Roe Entertainment) following IBMA 2008, and booked two brief tours here prior to IBMA ‘09. Nothing shows an eagerness to perform in the US more than, well… performing in the US!

Jens shared a few impressions of their recent IBMA experience:

“We felt like we did a good performance on the main stage, and the energy in that room was great. I think that it’s great to have people sit down and enjoy the music with some food, that never hurts. We got great reactions after that showcase and to us it meant the world compared to doing all the late night showcases where very few people actually show up and personally I think that it’s hard to perform that well in a little showcase room due to our constant fight with jet-lag (it’s like 8 or 9 in the morning for us when we do late night showcases), less sound reinforcement and the small crowds. So we loved to play the brunch showcase.

Playing the Awards Show was such a treat. It felt very special to walk on that stage and I think one of us said ‘what the heck happened down there?’ as we came back to the dressing room in the Ryman, followed by ‘My record collection was sitting in the front row looking at me.’ Scary and nice at the same time. The vibe at the Ryman was definitely something else!”

Their second CD on Sweden’s Cosmos Records is due out shortly, and a number of US labels have expressed an interest in licensing it for distribution in the States.

G2 has plans for another US tour during the summer of ‘10, and maybe two. Jim Roe of Roe Entertainment tells us that their exposure at IBMA this year has made a big difference in arranging dates for the band.

“It’s a great selling point that they played on the awards show – not everyone gets to play that show.

We had a lot of interest following their Wednesday showcase. One major festival contacted me right away about having them next year after hearing them live. We’re not sure yet whether they’ll be able to do it, but the immediate response was very encouraging.”

Jim said that they will be in the US from mid-June of 2010 through at least the end of July.

“Their tour will start at the Grass Valley Festival in California, and we also have them booked at ROMP in Louisville. They are booked at Mohican Bluegrass just before IBMA, and we are still filling open dates. If we can keep them busy all summer, the band will stay over here from June all the way up to IBMA in September.

They also did as many media appearances as possible while they were here this fall, including live sets for WAMU’s Bluegrass Country and Bluegrass Breakdown, syndicated on Tennessee Public Radio.

There was also a set for The Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour, which was broadcast a few weeks ago on their many affiliate stations. Though primarily a radio show, Woodsongs also offers their programs on video, and you can see G2’s performance online, or in the player below. Just click the image if the player controls don’t appear.

Click here to view the embedded video.

G2 was so visible this year that a number of European bluegrass enthusiasts got to grumbling about how well they were treated at IBMA versus other acts that have made the trip. Acousticure, the 2008 EWOB band champs (from Hungary), made their first trip to IBMA this year, and they could do a lot worse than emulating the example G2 has set for success in the US market.

UPDATE 11/17: Dan Hays, executive director of IBMA, sent along a clarification about the showcase selection process as it involved G2.

“G2 was actually chosen for an official showcase performance slot based on their own merits and IBMA’s selection criteria….rather than assuming a slot reserved for an EWOB winner. In fact, IBMA does not reserve a slot for EWOB winners or any other competition from Europe, the US or elsewhere. All of IBMA’s official showcase artists are selected from amongst those that apply and best fulfill the criteria for those presentations and we wouldn’t want anyone to think G2 was chosen on anything other than their own merits and through processes open to everyone.”

Not only do the sisters sing together in close three part harmony – eerily reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters – they complement their vocals with equally precise triple fiddles. Accompanied only by sock-rhythm guitar and an upright bass, their music is compelling, and to serious fans of this vintage slice of American music, a pure delight.

The Quebe Sisters Band have been performing together since 2000 with Drew Phelps on bass and Joey McKenzie on guitar. The Quebes met Joey through his music school (McKenzies’ Music and Instructional Studio) in Mansfield, TX, where they studied fiddle as very young girls. A spot on the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival brought the Quebes to a national audience, which led to guest spots on The Marty Stuart Show, The Grand Ole Opry and the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree.

We spoke recently with Sherry McKenzie, who manages the studio with her husband, and also handles publicity for the band. They were extremely well-received at IBMA, but I was curious whether the positive reaction was converting to new opportunities for the band.

“We have received inquires and have been following up on these as well as getting in touch with contacts made during the week. It looks like the band will have the opportunity play a few states in 2010 that they have never been to before, as a direct result of IBMA.

As far as expanding our fan base, we gave away many CDs for radio airplay, and have had orders trickling in each week from folks who are hearing the QSB on their local bluegrass & Americana radio programs. We have had interest as well from people who didn’t attend IBMA, but have discovered the group by the official showcase videos that have made their way to YouTube.”

As we have asked a number of the official IBMA showcase acts, Sherry was asked whether the trip to Nashville was worth the trouble and expense.

“I definitely feel the benefits were worth the expense. And worth the lack of sleep too!! The crash course for new artists, mentor sessions, gig fair and seminars were invaluable and we all came home with useful information to apply to our business. We tried to map out our week ahead of time and plan what sessions to attend each day, in addition to setting up meetings. Although it was a fun week with jam sessions, attending showcases, meeting new friends and connecting with old friends, we tried to keep a balance of both entertainment and business.

Everyone enjoyed spending time in the exhibit hall visiting the booths. The week could have been much, much more expensive than it was, as Joey prowled around the exhibit hall all week long looking for just the right mandolin!

I would encourage other artists to attend IBMA at least one time to see if it is a good fit for them. Although the QSB is new on the scene, the bluegrass community was very welcoming and encouraging. From a business standpoint, it was extremely educational with information we can use all year long. Musically speaking, it was very inspiring!

We don’t have the opportunity to hear much bluegrass at live shows or festivals where we live in Texas, so it was great to finally meet and hear many of the people we admire but have only heard on recordings or the radio. We heard so many great bands and musicians, we were all very impressed and inspired. We were excited to be part of such a first-class event.”

The Quebe Sisters Band will be back in Nashville in Decmber, with appearances at The Station Inn, Music City Roots and The Opry. They will also tape another set for The Marty Stuart Show, and visit with Eddie Stubbs at WSM. A new album is also in the works.

Is there room for classic Texas Swing in the world of country, bluegrass and Americana music? If so, The Quebe Sisters Band have a bright future indeed.

Casey Henry has agreed to send us occasional updates from The American Revival Tour, where she is performing with Dixie Bee-Liners. Also on the tour are Sierra Hull & Highway 111 and headliners Uncle Earl.

Here is Casey’s report.

The arrival of November saw The Dixie Bee-Liners, Uncle Earl, and Sierra Hull and Highway 111 burning up the roads of the southeast in the first week of our much anticipated tour – American Revival: Celebrating the New Stars of American Roots Music.

When three bands of young-ish people get to travel together for four weeks, hi jinx will ensue. We have a long-running tour game involving sausage, but I’ll leave that for another time. Our most fun show, by far, was Halloween at the American Theater in Hampton, VA. Buddy Woodward, Bee-Liner mandolin player, is great at zombie makeup and we took full advantage of his talents. He also helped out Sierra’s band, giving fiddler Christian Ward a slash across the face, bassist Jacob Eller a bullet hole in the head, and transforming guitarist Clay Hess into a very convincing wolf-man. Ron Block went as Ron Howard—no makeup needed! Uncle Earl was four bad witches and one good witch.

Punch Brothers Chris “Critter” Eldridge and Noam Pikelny came for the night’s show. Critter dressed as a Christmas party guest, complete with battery-powered lights. Noam borrowed a spare witch hat and grey wig from Uncle Earl. They joined the Earl girls on stage to sing Happy Birthday to their fiddler, Stephanie “Pumpkin” Coleman, who turned 24.

Our post-show Halloween celebration took place at a little martini bar down the street—Six—where we had tapas and cocktails and played with the motorized witch hat KC Groves had found at the grocery store. It played Ding, Dong, The Witch Is Dead, and wagged its bell-adorned, pointed tip merrily back and forth.

Monday night we played at the Birchmere in Alexandria, a legendary bluegrass venue. For most of the Bee-Liners it was the first time we’d played there and we were honored to get to take the stage where the Seldom Scene ruled for so long. I actually had my fifteenth birthday party at the Birchmere. My parents took me and a group of my friends to see the Johnson Mountain Boys play. My friend Nancy Peterson, who came to the show last night, was at that party. She said it was like coming full circle, getting to see me play on that same stage.

Today is a travel day—more than 500 miles down to South Carolina. The Bee-Liners are stopping by WAMU this morning to play a little in-studio music and then hitting the road.

For more pictures and anecdotes, see Sierra Hull’s blog. I feel this must be the most-blogged-about bluegrass tour ever!

They played their entire October 31 show in Tompkinsville, KY in full KISS makeup and wigs, and Tim said that they had a blast! Barry Scott & Second Wind was also on the bill, but they didn’t have a chance.

Tim explains how their alter-ego evolved…

“I was always a KISS fan growing up, and one of the guys at our new management company used to work with KISS, and it just seemed like it would be fun.

Me and Joe did our own makeup, and and Joe’s wife Rachel did Josh and Jamey’s.”

I think this may be a first… a bluegrass band, done up as KISS, playing Little Maggie.

On a more serious note, Shelton said that things were really coming together for NewFound Road right now, and all the guys are excited about 2010. They have a new booking agency (The Roots Agency) and the aforementioned management (Entertainment Services), not to mention a new CD and music video.

“Entertainment Services is run by two guys, Larry Mazer and Harvey Leeds, who have many, many years of experience in the music business. We are their first bluegrass clients. Larry used to manage KISS, and Harvey worked at Epic and Sony during the Michael Jackson hey day.

When we signed with The Roots Agency, they started sending our CD around to stir up a buzz, and I got a text from them one night saying that a couple of major players in the entertainment industry were pretty excited about the new album. The text said that they would call me in the morning to talk about it, and I was like ‘No way…  I want to know about this now!’

Tim said that he knew who Larry Mazer was from reading KISS books during his fan days, and after Googling Harvey Leeds, he was sure that these two could really help the band take it to the next level.

“They have gotten us signed with a huge agency in Europe for international dates, and are working with an artist from way outside of bluegrass who will be doing a traditional, rootsy album with hints of grass. We will be getting together with them next year to write some and hope that it will turn into something.”

I suggested that they may have started a trend with the KISS makeup…

“This might become an annual thing – each year would be better and better!”

Casey Henry has agreed to send us occasional updates from The American Revival Tour, where she is performing with Dixie Bee-Liners. Also on the tour are Sierra Hull & Highway 111 and headliners Uncle Earl.

Here is Casey’s first report.

I’m composing this email while backstage at the Birchmere, waiting for our sound check. Week 2 of the American Revival Tour is about to commence, starting with gigs in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia – and I’d just like to point out that some of them are not that far from Charlotte and Waxhaw (hint, hint).

• Wed. Nov. 4th – Newberry, SC – Newberry Opera House – 7:30 p.m.
• Thurs. Nov. 5th – Morganton, NC – Municipal Auditorium (CoMMA) – 7:30 p.m.
• Fri. Nov. 6th – Greensboro, NC – Carolina Theater – 8:00 p.m.
• Sun. Nov. 8th – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel – 8:00 p.m.
• Mon. Nov 9th – Atlanta, GA – Red Light Cafe – 7:30 p.m. —NOTE—This show was originally supposed to be at the Variety Playhouse and has been MOVED!! If you’ve already bought tickets, they’re still good!!!!! (Though the Red Light Cafe website hasn’t been updated yet.)

Our complete tour schedule can be found on The Dixie Bee-Liners website.

If you want to see how the tour is going so far, I’ve been blogging every day over on The Murphy Method blog. And I must say, we had some pretty awesome halloween costumes.

Hope to see some of y’all at the shows!

On September 21, 1995 in Rosine, Kentucky, the US Navy’s Country Current bluegrass group performed for the birthday celebration and plaque dedication ceremony for Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music. At that ceremony, as the leader of Country Current, I had a conversation with John Sheldon, the Secretary of the Scottish Bluegrass Association from Penicuik Scotland. As we were talking, John inquired about the possibility of Country Current performing in the United Kingdom but, at that time, the possibility of a performance would not come to fruition.

John spoke face to face with the Father of Bluegrass Music on that day and made a vow that he would do all he could to promote bluegrass music in the United Kingdom. Bill boasted with pride that his music would continue to grow around the globe. Since that ceremony in 1995, John has worked feverishly to fulfill his promise by hosting tours for over 100 USA, Canadian, and European bluegrass bands in the UK.

Upon my retirement from Country Current, I contacted John Sheldon to get the wheels rolling toward getting my new group, Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa to the UK. John arranged a thirteen-day tour, a series of performances ranging from state of the art theaters in Newcastle, England to Moniaive’s first annual bluegrass festival in the south of Scotland. We also did a pair of Music in the Schools performances for 500+ children in grades Kindergarten through 6th grade, which was funded by the International Bluegrass Music Association and the Scottish Bluegrass Association. Our schedule also included group and individual workshops.

Throughout the 13-day tour WT and Appaloosa traveled many miles, performing 18 shows for hundreds of bluegrass enthusiasts as ambassadors of bluegrass music and as US citizens. The tour was highly successful. John continues to fulfill his promise to Bill Monroe with other groups lined up for next year.

I would highly recommend this adventure for any bluegrass group who would like to experience the trip of a life time to see some of the most amazing scenery, landscapes, castles and meet some of the friendliest people anywhere.

Here are a few photos from our trip.

To see more photos and information regarding the tour, visit our web site, or to contact John Sheldon visit www.scottishbluegrass.com.

Well she isn’t hiring, but her two talented daughters are. Tensel and Sally Sandker are both studying in the bluegrass music program at East Tennesse State University, and perform as Next Best Thing.

Tensel plays bass, Sally mandolin/guitar, and as you might expect, both of them sing. They have another talented young lady, Haley Stiltner, on banjo and are looking for one more to complete the group.

Rhonda posted this on her Facebook profile this morning:

“If you’re a guitar/mandolin picker, who sings beautiful baritone…..my girls are auditioning musicians. Give them a call 615-390-4610. They’re in search of the perfect person to join NEXT BEST THING. They’ll be working lots of shows with us next year. And, they’re going in the studio very soon.”

You can hear a couple of songs from Next Best Thing on their MySpace page.

Lonesome Pine RFD runs from 9:00 a.m. ’till noon (EDT), and the lengthy McEuen interview is set to air at 11:00. WFDU can be heard in NYC and surrounding areas at 89.1 FM, and worldwide via live streaming online.

Carol offers a preview…

“John takes us through the new CD by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Speed Of Life, song-by-song.

Throughout the hour there’s plenty of history shared on the early days of NGDB and John’s solo career.  He also talked about his friendship with Steve Martin since Steve was a teenager, and their work together on The Crow.”

The show will also be available for two weeks in the station’s audio archives after it airs, and will be rebroadcast on Monday (11/2) at 12:00 a.m. on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country.

Their appearance was broadcast nationally via ABC sports.

Nice job, guys!

I’m back home again after almost 2 weeks of continuous travel in planes, boats, buses, trains, and a van.

The remaining two shows after my last post here were a lot of fun and were very well received… a great way to end the trip!

I had been to the venue we played in Germany before, and the crowd’s enthusiasm didn’t dissipate from our last visit there over 2 years ago. We were practically sold out of band CD’s after the show, and some of the band’s friends from around the area treated us to some awesome food and hospitality afterwards. Thank you!

The Czech Republic was a new place for me. It’s a beautiful country, with really nice and hospitable people. A few minutes after we crossed the border, a country music station came through on the radio. After 11 days of hearing nothing but American, British, and German pop on almost every radio station, it was pretty strange to hear Johnny Cash covers in Czech mixed with original country classics in English! Even though the English language was spoken far less there than most of the other places we went, you can sense an appreciation for traditional and acoustic music in the people there… and what an awesome bluegrass community of pickers and singers!

Sometimes I feel a good bit ignorant and lost when I travel to a new place, and they can speak a little bit of English and I can’t speak any word of the local language. It’s hard not to feel pretty stupid when you go in a store and start pointing at things and counting change very slowly! Every time I’ve been in that circumstance, the locals have been so nice and helpful. So I take that as a lesson… be nice and give directions to people that aren’t familiar with their surroundings when you can! You never know when you’ll wind up in the same boat(or train, bus, van, or plane)!

We had a little bit of delay in getting back, and I’m still lagged quite a bit from the 20 hours or so of airports and layovers yesterday so I’ll have to keep this story short and sweet.

Thanks to all of the bluegrass music fans in Europe for making this tour possible! Hope to see you again soon.

Next week it’s Mashville Brigade at the Station Inn on Tuesday, and then Special C’s off to Waldo, Florida!

Their rendition featured Josh Shilling as the primary vocalist, with the rest of the members providing harmony on a powerful and inventive arrangement. Mountain Heart manager Brian Smith tells us that he has been responding to feedback since Sunday afternoon.

“It was a milestone event for them and we are getting interest in more gigs as a result.

Racing legend Richard Petty came over while there to congratulate the guys and said he loved it. Numerous other drivers and team members did so as well before they climbed into their cars for the race.”

After our train ride to Copenhagen we rode the long road to the Netherlands, had two shows there and had a good time. Even though we were pretty tired from all the riding and moving around to get there, it was a really nice place to visit. Nice hospitable folks there… but beware! Our hosts introduced us to these waffle and caramel cookies called Stroopwafles, and now we’re all addicted to them! I’m going to have to go on a serious diet when I get home.

Anyway, we made the long van ride from Holland here to Switzerland yesterday and got here just in time to eat dinner and play a little show in Lausen (right outside of Basil) and then we got a good night’s sleep. In attendance at our gig last night was a professional classical guitarist that grew up just about 15 or 20 miles away from where I grew up in North Carolina, and has lived in Europe for 40 years since he graduated from the School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. I guess there’s Tarheels everywhere! Small world!

I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but for this trip we’re in a decent sized van that’s a little larger than the ones we have rented on previous trips. Still it’s pretty cramped for all of these 5-8 hour trips. Vehicles are much smaller on average here in Europe, so I guess we’re lucky that we’re in something that we can all fit in.

At least we’re not in this…

Now we’re spending the afternoon before our show at a friend of the band’s house. This is the first time we’ve had Wifi in a few days, so we’ve turned her dining room into a computer lab.

After our show in Feuerthalen, Switzerland tonight, we’ll be back in Germany for a show in Bochum, then our last show will be in the Czech Republic. Never been there before, so I’m looking forward to it!

I’m having a great time here, but after 8 days I’m starting to look forward to going home and being in my own bed, not having to travel hours and hours every other day, and not trying to figure out what kind of money I’ve got and how much I’m spending! We’ve been on four currencies so far, and one more to go!

Regardless, it’s nice to be here reporting to you from Switzerland! Maybe I’ll get one more update in before I go home.

The band consists of Phil and Dorene Bankester, their daughters Melissa, Lindsey, Emily and Alysha, and one son-in-law, Kyle Triplett. They were among the invited showcase acts for this year, and Phil provided this after action report for our readers.

IBMA’s World of Bluegrass was a terrific experience for us. We have never attended the business conference before, and this was a real treat. We arrived at 3:00 am Monday, exhausted from playing fifteen shows at Silver Dollar City and then driving most of the night. I learned quickly of the alternate IBMA acronym, ‘I’ve Been Mostly Awake.’

As one of this year’s official showcase bands, I have to give a public ‘thank you’ to IBMA and all they did for us. Free registration for the whole band, a booth in the exhibit hall, early sign up for the gig fair, and then the opportunity to perform was, to us, a wonderful package and we’ll be forever grateful. We thought that the selection of seminars/workshops was very good. In many instances we split up and attended multiple simultaneous sessions. The IBMA education committee is really doing a fine job.

The booth seems to have been very beneficial. A lot of people came by there to see us, and to watch the music video as well. We connected with a good number of DJs in the exhibit hall

John Abrams stopped by the booth the day he was there to say hi to the girls and see the music video. We met the Abrams Brothers back in 2005 playing the same festival in North Carolina. An interesting bit of trivia…  their first music video was a Becky Buller song, as is ours (Carolina Rain).

I think it’s pretty accurate to say that relatively few people knew of The Bankester Family before this past summer. Having been selected to showcase, we decided to do our best to generate some awareness prior to September 28. That’s what prompted the ‘behind the scenes’ video. That, along with learning how to make use of email blasts, and then the release of the finished music video a few days before WOB, actually seems to have worked fairly well.

The music video has been very well-received. I think something like that helps give a band some additional credibility. We’ve even had inquiry from some other artists interested in having us (Genuine Human Productions) produce music videos for them.

The younger girls really were quite in awe at the whole experience. They thoroughly enjoyed working the exhibit booth and visiting with so many folk. It was fun for them just walking around and being stopped by someone who had either seen the showcase or the video at some point. One of the real highlights for them was going to the awards show for the first time. They’re developing artists, but huge fans, too.

It’s important to remember that this was, indeed, a business conference and that’s why we were there. I think the contacts we made and the invitations we’ve received to festivals certainly made it a worthwhile experience for us.

I frequently say that Bluegrass is much more than a musical genre – it’s a community. Being at this year’s World of Bluegrass just drove the point home even harder. It was great being with so many wonderful people.

First off, he mentioned that their next CD is finished, and is being mastered next week. Zack wasn’t sure whether they would be releasing it with a label, or on their own, but does expect to see it hit in February of 2010.

He was also psyched about the band recently being featured on the NPR wordplay program, Says You!, taped August 22 in the Polk Theatre at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in downtown Nashville. They performed incidental music used during the show.

“It is a hilarious show, and we had a blast providing the music. We recorded two episodes, one of which has already aired (available for download purchase), and we expect the next one to air this weekend.”

Says You! airs at different times on their many radio affiliates, and you can check when it airs in your market online.

Zack also wanted to introduce their latest member…

“Christian Sedelmyer joined us on fiddle back in July. He replaced our former banjo player, Trevor Brandt. The transition was very smooth, and the fiddle really adds a new energy to our music.

He started playing violin when he was five years old using the Suzuki method, and he has a fantastic ear and understanding of music.  Christian’s background and approach to music is similar to ours, so he fit right in from day one. He is also a very able harmony singer, which is a big part of being a Drifter.  We are so glad to have him in the band.”

You can keep an eye on The Farewell Drifters’ tour schedule on their web site.

Another opportunity comes up this weekend, when the Friends of Eddie & Martha Adcock host a benefit concert on Sunday (10/25) for these longtime bluegrass troopers at Nashville’s storied Station Inn.

Eddie has been performing on banjo since the early 1950s, including stints with Bill Monroe and (most memorably) with The Country Gentlemen in the ’60s. After leaving that group, he and Martha fronted a number of acts (IInd Generation and Talk Of The Town) before settling in to performing as a duo, which they have done for many years.

The Bluegrass Blog posted several times last year about Eddie’s pioneering deep brain surgery to correct a disabling hand tremor. Prior to the surgery, he was unable to play the banjo for the shaking in his hands, but since the implantation of electrical leads in his brain, he is again able to pick – and play his trade.

Though the surgery has been an amazing success, its outcome wasn’t certain when it was scheduled in 2008. The Adcocks were unwilling to book shows until Eddie’s capability to perform was demonstrated, and as a result, they have been unable to work for the past 18 months. Sunday’s concert is designed to raise some cash to assist them financially, and to remind promoters that Eddie & Martha are back, and looking forward to performing regularly in 2010 and beyond.

The show will feature performances by The Whites, Jerry Douglas, Gene Johnson, Jesse McReynolds, Don Wayne Reno, Randy Waller, The Harley Allen Band, Missy Raines & The New Hip and many others. Music begins at 7:00 p.m. and a donation of $20 is requested, though larger donations are most welcome.

Those who are unable to attend can send a contribution, payable to:

Not only have the Adcocks dedicated their lives to bluegrass music, their personal generosity is well known to a great many friends all over the world. Their annual bluegrass Benefit For The Homeless is a Nashville tradition, one which will be continued by Eddie & Martha.

Hat’s off to Terry Comer, the “Bluegrass dentist” of Franklin, TN and his assistant Patty Mitchell who have arranged the 10/25 show, the many artists who are donating their time, and the fans and friends who will support the Adcocks through this venture.

On behalf of The Bluegrass Blog, we ask any of our readers who are in a position to do so, to please consider making a contribution of your own.

It will be the first from their upcoming Susanville CD, due for release later this month on Pinecastle Record.

Brandi filled me in on this evening’s plans…

“There will be a concert scene and an outdoor campfire jam scene tonight.

We’re inviting our friends & fans to join us… just simply being themselves and having fun listening to the music. We even have fans driving over from Virginia to make an appearance.  It’s going to be a really great time, and everyone is welcome.

The director simply asks that folks arrive between 6:30-7:30 p.m. (DCT) and avoid wearing logos.  Also, he requests that everyone please wear dark colors (blacks, greys, reds, dark blues).  We would suggest that folks wear layers because it will be cold tonight!”

Brandi also sent along a few photos of the early excitement…

Today is day 6 of the trip, and I’m writing this on a train from Stockholm to Goteburg, Sweden.

After our two dates in Denmark, we left early Saturday morning on another extended hour excursion from Copenhagen to Stockholm for our first show here in Sweden last night. Due to construction on the train tracks in Copenhagen, our first train was delayed forcing us to miss our connection that was supposed to get us into Stockholm early enough to settle into our room and do a sound check. After talking to quite a few people at the ticket counters that said there’s no way we could make the show (PANIC!), Greg found a supervisor that got us on another train that took us out of our way a little bit, adding a couple of hours to the already 6 hour train ride… but it got us to the show!

Taking the train is pretty nice here. There’s room to move around, a “bistro” car that has snack food for purchase, there’s nice scenery with the Swedish countryside just outside the window. It’s nice to be able to spread out here using my PC listening to my Ipod without being scrunched up in a rental van. I was so inspired that I just wrote a new bluegrass train song!

I was just thinking that it was kinda funny that the only other times that I’ve been on a train outside of Europe was once or twice to get downtown Chicago, as a shuttle between airport terminals, and when I was a cap gun shooting kid in a cowboy hat at Tweetsy Railroad in Boone, NC. It’s way more common for people to travel from place to place by train here, and it’s nice… except when they’re late.

The places and people have been great so far. With the little bit of free time that we had in Denmark, a few of us went downtown Copenhagen late Friday night after our show and it was awesome! Despite it being the coldest October they’ve had in recent history and some rain, it was great to see the city lit up with people biking and walking around. I want to come back, but maybe when the dollar’s stronger! Eating and getting around here in Europe is very expensive for this North Carolina boy. Still an awesome experience… Copenhagen was great.

We saw less of Stockholm just because we barely had time to get there, play the show, and go to bed so we could get up early for our train today, but it’s a beautiful old city. The city is build around a lot of different islands and little ancient streets. I will for sure spend some time looking around there one day. We drove by the palace this morning and I really wanted to go in and say hey to the King, but we didn’t have time. Everyone was so friendly there in Stockholm, and I’m sure he is too.

Some of our friends from the Swedish bluegrass band G2 came by last night, and we got to pick a few tunes after the show. They’ll be touring the US again next year, so check them out if they’re ever in your area!

Tomorrow it’s another early morning and another train, and then we drive to Holland. These days of 8-10 hours of moving, lots of coffee and tea, and two hours of picking surprisingly haven’t worn me or my voice out yet so I’m keeping my fingers crossed! 3 shows down, 7 to go! Signing off from Vagn (Wagon) 13 of the Stockholm Center City to Goteborg City Center Bluegrass Express!